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NFA's missing Dollars
'Arrest Amun now '
By
BEN MEMULETIWON
Thursday, February 22, 2007
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•Omidiran
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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If the Nigeria Football Association (NFA) boss, Alhaji Sani
Lulu, thinks he can sweep under the carpet the raging controversy over the million
dollars left behind by his predecessor, Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima, then he should
be informed that there’s a watchdog keeping tabs on the development.
Foremost
female football exponent, Alhaja Ayo Omidiran, is poised to hold the Glass House
occupants by the jugular until the truth about the money is revealed. She urged
Lulu to swing into action now in order to wash himself clean off the mess.
“Nobody
can sweep the issue of the missing dollars under the carpet,” Alhaja Omidiran
said. “Nigerians must continue to ask questions as to who spent the money,
or who stole it, as the case may be. We shall continue to torment Lulu until we
get to the roots of the matter.”
Alhaja Omidiran, who described Galadima
as a man of proven integrity, argued that the NFA chairman is playing pranks with
the issue, trying to take all Nigerians for a ride. She added that Lulu should
wake up from his lethargy and get erstwhile FA scribe, Fanny Amun, arrested now,
so that he can account for the whereabouts of the dollars.
“We all
know Galadima to be an honourable man,” she said. “He said he left
$1.5 million in FA coffers. He’s still alive, and said he’s ready
to testify before the NFA. So, what’s Lulu waiting for? Fanny Amun has not
even denied the fact that Galadima left the money behind. Fanny should be made
to account for his stewardship.
“I’m sure he knows something
about the missing money – who authorised spending and who benefited from
the spending. This is the normal thing in any civilised country. Nigerians should
see this fraud at the NFA as our collective headache and we must get to the root
of the cause.
We should not allow this issue to remain under the carpet
because it is customary in Nigeria that when people have been silent for so long
on any issues, the issues die a natural death. So, let’s keep asking the
NFA: ‘Where are the dollars? It’s our money and we deserve to know
how it was spent.”
Omidiran lectures Lulu on how to get to the root
of the matter, urging the Kogi-born NFA boss to report Amun to the National Sports
Commission (NSC) and if that fails, then he should go to the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC). That should be the arbiter.
“Fanny Amun
can’t claim to be bigger than the NSC that employs him. He’s not bigger
than Nigeria, so he should be made to give account of his stewardship. Lack of
accountability has remained the bane of football development in this country,
and we must start somewhere.
“If Fanny is not ready to heed the NSC calls,
then the police or EFCC can come in.”
Not too long ago, the FA boss
raised alarm that he inherited a whopping debt of N300 million when he assumed
office at the Glass House, Abuja, but, in a swift reaction his predecessor, Galadima,
called him a bloody liar, revealing that he left $1.5 million dollars when he
was squeezed out of the Glass House. Since then, the truth of the matter has been
shrouded in mystery as the FA has kept mute over the issue.
But know the
football house can’t hide for too long, as Galadima himself is ready to
take up the gauntlet against the country’s football ruling authority, while
Omidiran will lead another onslaught from Oshogbo. |
